For weeks now, St. John’s defense has flexed its muscles.
It has spearheaded a 4-1 start in Big East play, shutting down the opposition in those contests.
It has risen to sixth in the nation in efficiency, according to KenPom.com, overwhelming the likes of Creighton, Xavier and Butler on that end of the floor.
Not a single league opponent has reached its season average against the Johnnies.
But now, here comes Villanova, a much-improved Villanova from the one that dropped games to the likes of Columbia, Virginia and St. Joseph’s in November.
A Villanova team — winner of eight of its last nine games — that features the nation’s leading scorer in Eric Dixon and presents a major step up in competition from an offensive standpoint.
“We are, in this basketball game, going to be challenged about as hard as any team we’re going to face,” coach Rick Pitino said Friday on the eve of a Garden showdown that is expected to draw in the neighborhood of 17,000 fans, if not more. “The way they shoot free throws, the way they shoot 3s, they present so many problems for your defense that it’s going to be challenged.”
Villanova (11-5, 4-1) is the nation’s fourth-best 3-point shooting team at 41.4 percent.
It is 10th in free throw shooting (79.3) and 15th in turnovers committed (9.7). Its offense is ranked 10th in efficiency.
The only St. John’s (13-3, 4-1) opponent up to this point with an attack that can compare is Baylor (16th), which knocked off the Red Storm in a double-overtime, mid-November heartbreaker in The Bahamas.
It obviously starts with Dixon, the 6-foot-8, 265-pound do-it-all forward, averaging 25.7 points and shooting an absurd 47.2 percent from distance on 5.7 attempts.
A walking mismatch, he can hurt you inside and out. The plan is to run him off the 3-point line and make him take challenged two-pointers, according to Aaron Scott, who is expected to defend Dixon for a large portion of the game.
“It’s a collective job guarding Eric Dixon,” forward Zuby Ejiofor said.
But Villanova has taken off of late because of its other pieces. Because Miami transfer Wooga Poplar has found his game, and Jordan Longino, Tyler Perkins and Jhamir Brickus are all contributing, making it harder for teams just to focus on Dixon.
The super senior shot just 6-of-20 against two-time defending national champion Connecticut on Wednesday, but Villanova prevailed thanks to 30 combined points from Longino and Poplar and a terrific final minute on the defensive end.
“The mistake that people make when they play Villanova is they focus too much on Dixon, and the other four, five guys in their lineup just kill you,” Pitino said. “The reason Dixon is having such a great year is he has a great cast with him.”
A similar sentiment, however, could be made about what Villanova will see against St. John’s.
It hasn’t dealt with a defense like this, either, a group with positional size, versatility and switch-ability that gave Xavier fits in a 10-point road win Tuesday.
The Musketeers entered that contest 13th in the country in 3-point shooting, and the Johnnies held them to 4-of-18 from beyond the arc.
Afterward, Xavier coach Sean Miller complimented St. John’s effort and toughness.
Of late, Pitino has seen the Red Storm take on a hard-hat mentality and play with a desperation that has resulted in wins despite their offensive woes from 3-point range.
“There was a one-man club, and then [Sadiku Ibine Ayo] joined Zuby, and then Deivon [Smith] joined those two, and then [Simeon Wilcher] joined,” Pitino said. “And everybody’s joining Zuby’s club [with] incredible work ethic. It starts out with a one-man band, and now they have a very large band.”
That band will face a major test Saturday night. One of the largest crowds in the Pitino era is expected. Anticipation has grown in recent days, as Villanova and St. John’s picked up significant wins earlier this week.
“I’m excited,” Scott said, “but I’m more excited to get the win. We have to lock in.”